Behind the Closed Door
by turn2stone
Summary: What goes on at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Bits and Pieces of what happens at that place during the summer of 1995
1. Chapter 1

_**Like I always say, nothing is mine. **_

_**Trying a multiple chapters fic this time. Hope everything works out fine.**_

A staring match- between Sirius Black and Dumbledore's latest missive that had been delivered to the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place by Fawkes. Ever since he had stepped into the kitchen, the sight had not changed- and that was fifteen minutes ago. Finally Sirius put the letter down and declared after much deliberation- "Dumbledore's lost his marbles."

"Why? Did he suggest that you should consider cross dressing the next time you wish to leave the house?"

Sirius growled. "Not everything is about me, Remus."

"Really? Till last night I would have thought otherwise," smirked Remus.

"Why are you so chipper?"

"Got a job," Remus grinned.

"What! And you've been keeping quiet about it! When were you going to tell me?"

"I just did."

"Details, Moony, details."

"Its that muggle bookstore we walked by the other day. They are offering flexible hours too."

"Its nearby, which means you'll be staying here. Good, I need it," sighed Sirius in relief.

Remus raised an eyebrow in silent query.

"The Weasleys are coming to stay!" blurted out Sirius, waving Dumbledore's letter about which Remus had temporarily forgotten.

Remus could not understand Sirius's reaction. He thought Sirius would be happier if he had company. So he simply looked at his friend for an explanation.

"Its going to be a disaster," Sirius claimed looking irritated.

Remus frowned. "I don't see how…"

"Have you seen this place? It's a mess. I gave it to Dumbledore to use as the Order Headquarters because it was practical. I did not bargain to have this place turned into Hotel Black Delight!" snapped Sirius.

"Hotel Black Delight? Really Sirius, is that the best you can come up with?" sniggered Remus.

"Cut it Remus. I don't want to play host to Molly Weasley and her brood. Moreover she doesn't like us either. Whenever she looks at us all she sees are a mad mass murderer and a werewolf. With those preconceived notions, staying together in this hovel is going to be a nightmare."

"You worry too much Sirius. She won't be staying alone. Arthur and the kids will be here too. Those kids are a good bunch," soothed Remus.

"I don't know any of them," muttered Sirius.

"You know Ron," reasoned Remus.

"Only Ron," grumbled Sirius.

"Its more than enough for a start. You'll get to know the rest of them too."

"You taught them, didn't you. What are they like?" asked Sirius.

"They are a rather diverse bunch," smiled Remus. "Percy is hardworking, dedicated and has an affinity towards rules."

"An over achiever," smirked Sirius. "There is always one in every family."

"Fred and George on the other hand," continued Remus "are wonderful pranksters. They are terribly sharp and innovative."

"Did they prank you," interrupted Sirius.

"I'm not a Marauder for nothing Padfoot," smirked Remus.

"Good! I was beginning to worry that you were growing old," grinned Sirius. "So the twins are mini- us. Now that might be fun. That leaves us with Ron and the little girl."

"Let me warn you, call Ginny a little girl in front of her and you will surely regret it," cautioned Remus.

"Why? Don't tell me she is Molly Weasley junior."

"Three words dear Padfoot, Bat Bogey Hex."

"You taught her that!" gasped Sirius.

"Yes, and she is rather proficient at it," replied Remus cheerfully. "I witnessed her using it on the twins. The results were delightful."

"Why Moony, I'm surprised you used your student to do your dirty work."

"Well, you see being a teacher does restrict certain urges and I just had to find an outlet," grinned Remus. "Look we'll be fine. They are good people and you'll enjoy the company too."

"Right, if you say so. I'm off to feed Buckbeak. You are more than welcome to play host when they arrive-" a shrill door bell followed by inhuman screeches interrupted Sirius "- now."

Sirius gave Remus a short wave and mouthed good luck before _disapparating with a crack._


	2. Chapter 2

_I know its not much, but its not my fault- Remus thinks too much! He took up a whole chapter while he walked from the kitchen to the front door._

Remus glared at the spot where Sirius had been standing moments ago.

How very chivalrous of his dear friend to leave him alone to deal with not only the Weasleys but also Walburga Black's shrieking portrait.

He sighed as he made his way to the front door; reminding himself that dealing with the portrait alone would be futile and that it would be wise to ask the boys to lend him a hand once they were indoors. The thought of meeting his former pupils made him smile, though he had to admit that if Sirius's observation was right, staying here together may turn out to be uncomfortable.

He wondered why. He had always resigned himself to be glared at in disgust- at the very least- when people found out what he was. Till recently, that is. And then came Tonks- another person of whom he could make neither heads nor tails of. When she came to know of his ailment, her eyes had sparkled with sheer curiosity as she enquired if he could scratch his ears with his hind leg.

Her ready acceptance of him- both as man and wolf- surprised, no shocked him. She was an Auror, sweet Merlin. Weren't such creatures hypnotized not to trust the likes of him? He now realized that it was due to her behaviour that he had gone soft and had started wishing acceptance from everyone else. Though he had to agree that being in the Order, he met people who at least tolerated him as long as he did not suggest to a moonlight stroll around the block.

But Molly Weasley confused him. He was rather proficient in reading people- of course he had a lot of practice- but Molly Weasley threw him out of the loop. He had yet not determined what she thought of him. Granted he had just met her recently. In those few meetings he had only managed to gather so much information.

He knew she was scared. Scared of what was to come and scared for her family- that included both Harry and Hermione. She was also the unanimously established mother hen of the Order. She believed that every worry could be washed away with a full stomach. Well, he would have no complains to that. She was an excellent cook after all and he was sure he had put on some weight after eating her snacks for merely a week. Further he had determined that she could be rather imposing when she wanted. Remus had found it impressive how she could stop Dung from feeding on his infernal pipe by just a glare.

Yet armed with all this data, he still could not make out what she thought of him. She had been civil to him but they had yet to engage in an actual conversation.

However since it seemed like they would be living under the same roof, he pondered that soon he would solve the Molly all his ideas and thoughts flew out of the window as he opened the front door to stare into a pair of bright red eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

I know its been a while, but I was busy with my thesis and didn't even have time to breathe. Anyway, I've abandoned my thesis for the day for some well deserved rest, and so you have it- one long chapter. Hope you like it.

Thank a lot to those who took time to review the last two chapters.

_I'm jumping to Ron's POV here. I just thought it did more justice to the chapter._

_Harry witnessed Cedric's murder._

_Harry saw You- Know- Who rise._

_The Minister for Magic does not believe in Harry._

_They are facing a war._

These comprised Ronald Weasley's list of woes. However by this morning a new member had been added.

_He was ashamed to call Percy Weasley his brother._

He had felt like he was falling off his broom into nothingness when Percy had sided with the Ministry and called Harry a liar. He was hurt when Percy abused his father. In short he was furious. Percy had left. His father refused to talk about it, his mother could not stop crying. He found himself to be helpless to do anything useful. Talking to his siblings did not help either. In the face of all this, he was actually pleased that they would be staying at the Order Headquarters for the rest of summer. His parents' warnings that they would not take part in any Order activities instead help clean up what his mother claimed to be 'centuries worth of filth' did not deter him at all just because of the fact that he would be seeing Sirius again. His mother had been not so happy about the prospect of sharing the roof with an alleged mass murderer, though he had tried his best to assure her that Sirius was innocent. Fred and George on the other hand thought it was rather cool and had even cracked a few jokes. Ginny, well he had no idea what to she thought about it, she had been keeping thoughts to herself. But knowing his sister, he was sure soon he would be bombarded with questions- she was just bidding her time. Or probably waiting for Hermione. Those two together were a force to reckon. Speaking of which, he would have to talk to Sirius about getting Hermione to the Headquarters. Bet Sirius would like some familiar faces amongst all the other members. Not that he would admit that having her at the Headquarters would make him sleep better. Ever since he had been back from Hogwarts, he feared that Death Eaters would attack her because she was Harry's friend. He even had nightmares of her lying bloodied and injured in some deserted building. No he would never admit to it but he would definitely get her to the Headquarters, and once she's there, she would get Harry over too.

With these plans swimming in his head, he and his siblings had accompanied their sniffling mother to the door step of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see Professor Lupin at the door- gaping at his Mum. Never had he expected Professor Lupin to be speechless.

"Er… Professor Lupin, shouldn't we better get indoors?" he asked.

Professor Lupin seemed to snap out of his dazed look. "Yes. Get in, get in."

They stepped into a dark hallway, to have their ears assaulted by a terribly screeching. "What in Merlin's name is that noise?" yelped George.

"It's a portrait down the hall. It starts screaming at the slightest of noises. Could you boys go pull its curtains over it? That will shut her up," replied Professor Lupin, his eyes never leaving Molly's face.

"On it," called Fred and George as they whipped out their wands and headed down the hall.

"Molly what's the matter. You seem distressed," said Professor Lupin carefully.

Ron felt like laughing. Distressed would be an understatement. Trust Professor Lupin to be the epitome of politeness. "Professor, is there somewhere we can sit while Ginny makes Mum a cup of tea?" he asked.

"The kitchen is this way."

Soon they were all settled in the kitchen with cups of 'Ginny Weasley special' and Molly Weasley's lament over her broken family. Professor Lupin sat by her side listening attentively and offering his sympathies. Ron had to hand it to that man. He knew what to say and what not to. He was doing a much better job at comforting their mother than any one of them had. Maybe he ought to ask Professor Lupin for lessons, then perhaps he would be able to understand girls. Speaking of girls, he had to talk to Sirius about Hermione. But Sirius was nowhere around. Perhaps Professor Lupin would know, he thought. But before he could ask Professor Lupin, he spied a black dog slinking back from the kitchen door and into the darkness. He walked to the door; looking back he saw that all were busy discussing the 'Percy Weasley dilemma' to realize that he was leaving. He shrugged. The last thing he needed was an audience. He tiptoed through the hall to find the dog standing in the middle of the stairs.

"Sirius," Ron whispered.

The dog simply wagged his tail and continued his ascent.

"Oi! Wait up," He hissed as he climbed up the steps.

He followed the dog into a room and came face to face with Buckbeak.

"Oh! Hi Buckbeak," he whispered as he bowed.

Buckbeak immediately bowed back and nuzzled his beak at Ron's chest. "What.."

"He wants another rat."

Ron looked back to see Sirius grinning at him as he held out a large dead rat towards him.

"Hmmm, right. Here you go Buckbeak," Ron said grabbing the rat from Sirius and dangling it in front of the hippogriff. Buckbeak took the offering and moved away to a corner to enjoy his treat.

Ron turned to see Sirius sitting with his back to the door. He walked over and sat by his side. For a while no one spoke. Then,

"I'm sorry about your brother, estrangement in the family is.."

"We are better off without Percy."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

"No you don't, Ron. You feel angry, hurt, betrayed. But at the end of the day he is still your brother, you can never hate him completely. And the day he comes back mumbling apologies, you'll forgive him."

"You seem convinced that he'll come round."

"Once Voldemort comes out in the open, those idiots at the Ministry will be begging us to forgive them," Sirius snorted. "Percy will see the truth and he will return."

"But what if he's too proud to admit he was wrong? What if after everything he chooses the Ministry over his family?"

"That's a lot of what ifs, Ron. You have to believe that your brother's love for his family triumphs over his pride. Do try to hear him out when he comes back."

"Did you hear him out?" Ron did not know what made him blurt that out. He just had the feeling that Sirius was not just handing out advice but speaking from experience.

For a while Sirius simply stared into space. "No," he replied. "But then again, I was never the brother I should have been. I had lost him long before I could even think about saving him from his fate."

"I'm sorry," mumbled Ron.

"What are you apologizing for? I've made a hell lot of mistakes in my life and they do have the habit of coming back to bite me in the arse," said Sirius as he stood up. "Say, do you think Ol' Moony's calmed down your Mum by now? He was always good at that stuff. I, on the other hand would run off in the other direction."

"I wouldn't worry," said Ron as he brushed the dust off his jeans. "Once she gets a proper look at you and Professor Lupin, she's going to be-"

"Going to be what?" frowned Sirius, his mind already jumping to red alert. He had not forgotten his earlier conversation with Remus.

"No offense, but the both of you look like a sack of bones. Mum's not going to stop till you two resemble Christmas turkeys," smirked Ron.

"Really? Then she has got her work cut out for her," smiled Sirius. "Between you and me, she'll never be able to fatten Remus, it's got something to do with the werewolf mechanism."

"Mum never backs away from a challenge. She might just prove you wrong."

"I look forward to it. Shall we down then? I believe you have to introduce me to your siblings," said Sirius as he opened the door.

"Your funeral mate," called Ron as he walked out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

_Writer's block. Major writer's block. Though I'm not that much of a writer. I really don't have any other excuse except for maybe completing my graduation. Returning back home. Landing a job. Being lazy. Etc. etc. Anyway, I hope your enjoy this chapter._

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Ginny punched at the pillow willing to shape the lumpy mass into a comfortable rest. She sighed as she tossed and turned. The house gave her the creeps. The cold atmosphere brought back her worst memories. She had not been sleeping well ever since they had started to stay at Grimmauld Place. Finally kicking the covers off, she slipped out of bed and into the corridor. She softly padded her way to the stairs, making a bee line towards the kitchen. The kitchen was by far the least uncomfortable place in the house for her. The remnant fragrance of her mother's cooking always soothed her and reminded her of the Burrow- safe and warm. She stood at the threshold swaying in indecision- creepy bedroom or dark kitchen- when;

"Grab a chair before you turn to stone," called a gruff voice.

Ginny peered into the darkness to make out a faint silhouette at the head of the table. "Mr. Black," she whispered.

"Nope. The old man's long dead. Just plain ol' Sirius here."

"Are you drunk?" she asked warily. No matter what everyone said, she was still flighty around Sirius Black. In her defense, she had mostly seen him sulking in his animagus form when ever Professor Lupin or Ron had not been around. She did not know what to make of him. She began to wonder how to escape back to her creepy bedroom.

"Naah, Moony's hidden all the Firewhiskey. Even after all these years, I still can't find means to best that man."

"Moony?"

"Remus."

"Because he's a werewolf?"

"You disapprove?"

"Its mean. And childish."

"Seeing that we created our nicknames when we were in school- even younger than you are now- I think its justified."

"Professor Lupin doesn't mind?"

"What's it with all the women folk holding a candle out for Remus, ehh? You're the third one I believe."

"I not holding a candle for Professor Lupin," sputtered Ginny indignantly. "He taught us for an year and he's a wonderful teacher. He's kind and patient and he helped me a lot too."

"He has always been like that," replied Sirius fondly. "Tell me Miss Weasley, was he happy teaching?"

"I suppose so. Yes. Why do you ask?"

"…"

"Mr. Black?"

"You know, you could grab a chair. Or is the floor that comfortable?"

"Wha-"

"Do you want some tea? I was thinking of making some for myself," said Sirius as he heaved himself off the chair, pulling out his wand to light the grate.

As the soft fire lit up the room, Ginny found herself gazing at Sirius. This was the first time that she was near and in conversation with Sirius- the man and not Sirius- the dog. He was still in his day clothes, unshaven, gaunt face, hollow eyes and all. She sighed and sat down. "You know, you suck at it."

Sirius turned to face her. "And what trick is that?"

"The distract and change the subject trick."

"Twelve years in Azkaban and one year on the run does make one's skills rusty don't you think? Though you seem to be an expert, care to share some pointers?"

"I grew up with Fred and George," came the deadpan reply. "Its an useful trick. One of my personal favourite."

"Use it much?"

"Once. Not so much now."

"Very well Miss Weasley," said Sirius as he placed a steaming mug in front of her and seated himself across her.

"Why do you keep calling me Miss Weasley?"

"Why do you keep calling me Mr. Black?"

"Sirius?"

"Ginny?"

She chuckled and took a sip of her tea. "What tea is this? Its not the usual blend."

"Jasmine. I find it calming."

"You think I need calming?"

"You hate being here as much as I do which is saying something. The whole place gives you the creeps. You never stay in any of the rooms alone. You find it difficult to sleep at nights. I bet you have not got a decent night's sleep ever since you came here. So, yes you do need calming."

Ginny sighed. She hated it when people read her like an open book. She glared at her cup. "And you say all this because you feel the same?"

"I spent my childhood here, Ginny. Sixteen miserable years. Being back brings back dreadful memories."

"Is this the point where I share my 'dreadful memories'?" came the sarcastic reply.

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "Do you have anything to lose? I'm not your family. I won't get kittens for you."

"Fine," she snapped. "This place remind me of the Chamber of Secrets. Its cold and dreary and sinister. Totally unpleasant and evil. Even the blasted house elf gives me the creeps. Its like I'm back in the Chamber, only this time I don't escape!" She shuddered at the thought. "And don't you tell me to talk to someone. Dad's handling crap at the Ministry, Mum's all worked up with the Oder and worrying about that prat Percy. The last thing she needs is my burden. The twins would probably joke and try to make light of it. They mean well but I don't think I can handle all that right now. And Ron, he would-"

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. She contemplated the man in front of her who was simply leaning back in his seat with an expression of mild interest. Why was he so interested? He didn't even know her. Yet all this while he seemed to know what he was doing. He kept on putting forth the right questions, giving the right nudges making her spill all her beans. Someone had been telling on her. She had not been as successful in covering the emotions as she had first thought. She knew only two people who actually held proper conversations with Sirius and since one of them had not been present in the house after the first night, that only left-

"Ron noticed," she stated calmly staring at him.

"He mentioned in passing that this place reminded him of what Harry had told him of the Chamber and Harry had mentioned the Chamber incident to me in one of his letters last year."

"So you decided to look out for me? Just out of the blue?" she cut in.

"In Ron's words- he's useless in handling feelings. He's just afraid that he'll screw up and make it worse for you or that you'll feel coddled. He thought we might bond over the mutual hatred of this place."

She looked bemused. "He convinced you to actually have a conversation with someone other than Professor Lupin or himself?"

"That he did," grumbled Sirius. He gave her a faint smile. "He's a great brother. There's nothing he won't do for you."

"Maybe I should return the favour."

"Maybe I should start charging for these Agony Aunt sessions."

"Aren't you like filthy rich?"

"You have a point. What do you want?"

"Can you get Hermione here? She's supposed to be staying with her parents this summer. But Ron misses her and also worries for her safety. He was going to ask you himself but then he chickened out."

"And with Hermione around, you won't be alone either. Looks like a win- win to me. Consider it done," said Sirius with a smile as he stood up to collect the cups. He dumped them into the sink and turned to face her. "Do you feel better now? Think you'll be able to get some sleep?"

Ginny gave him a small smile. "Surprisingly, I do feel a bit better. Thank you. Guess I'll go try to get some rest." With that she left the table and headed towards the doorway. Halfway, she stopped and looked up at him. "You know, maybe you should try your own medicine sometime. It may do you good. And another thing, maybe you should try to spend more time around us as a human than a dog. We'd like to get to know you better." With that she turned and walked away leaving Sirius to stare at to spot she had just vacated.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said poking her head from behind the door. "Mum's contemplating on buying a bottle of 'Fleas Off' the next time she's at Diagon Alley. I'd lay off the dog for a while if I were you. 'Night Sirius," with that she disappeared.

Sirius chuckled to himself. "As you wish Miss Weasley."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Please don't kill me. I know it's been nearly 2 years since I last updated this story. It's just that I didn't know how to continue. So if you have given up on the story I can hardly blame you but I do hope that those who do read it are not disappointed. For now I am going to mark this story as complete though I might update it in the future. However if anyone has ideas for the coming chapters do let me know and I'll try to incorporate them though I'm not going to make any promises. So not going to keep you waiting… Here's the next chapter.**_

Hermione reached Number 12 Grimmauld Place in the company of her former professor Remus Lupin on a bleak Saturday afternoon. She barely managed to pull her trunk into the house before she got lunged at by blurry black mass.

"Padfoot! Get off her or I'll have you neutered!" hissed Remus as he shot out a hand to steady her. However his reprimand fell to deaf ears as Padfoot proceeded to lick every inch of Hermione's face, his tail wagging away. Remus finally managed to tug his furry friend of his poor former student who was failing rather miserably to control her laughter. He grabbed Padfoot by his tail and pulled him towards the kitchen while motioning Hermione to follow. At the threshold he spied Tonks and Ginny who did nothing to help him with his predicament but simply waved a greeting at Hermione- that was before Ginny launched herself at the older girl (nearly plowing down both Sirius and Remus in the process). It took a lot of creative maneuvering- on Remus's part (Tonk's being a mere spectator to all the drama) - to get everyone safely into the kitchen.

"Thank you for your help," Remus told Tonks mulishly.

"No problem. You've seen how coordinated I am on my own. Imagine what it would be like in a group," she stated.

"You could have hexed Sirius."

"Not after the lecture Mad- Eye gave us the last time. I not suicidal," she snorted.

"If you kids are done over there," drawled Sirius, interrupting their conversation, "there are introductions to be made. Hermione this here is my baby cousin Tonks. Tonks this is Hermione, the cleverest witch of her generation according to our dear Moony."

Hermione, Tonks noticed flushed pleasantly at Sirius's compliment and said, "Hi, it's nice to meet you. Though I have to say there is hardly any family resemblance, you must be distantly related."

Before Tonks could reply, for she had been entertaining Ginny and was currently sporting in a weird combination of lime green hair, grey eyes and a stubby nose on a round face; Ginny piped, "That's because she's a metamorphagus." And Remus cheerfully proclaimed, "Wait till she opens her mouth, you'll see the family resemblance soon enough."

Tonks calmly drove her elbow into Remus' ribs while screwing her eyes to revert into her original form. She grinned at Hermione's stunned face, "Do I look like my crazy cousin now?"

"Wow! I have read about metamorphagi but I never thought I would see one though. Unique Wizards and Witches of our World stated the last known metamorphagus to be Norring Ezra way back in 1922. The records must have not been revised otherwise there would have been mentions of current metamorphagi. I really ought to look at the edition number more closely otherwise I would be reading all outdated information. Would you mind educating me about metamorphagi? I'm really interested in the process of how you manage to change you physical structures without the aid of external sources. I mean you are channeling your magic using your mind and imagination. Do you get tired after a while? Or – I should stop blabbering before I embarrass myself," mumbled Hermione. Now she was blushing furiously.

Tonks grinned and said, "Sure I'd love to talk. I often visit Grimmauld Place so I wouldn't be a problem and this way I'll be able to get away from these old hags."

"Hey!" came the twin shouts from the aforementioned hags.

Hermione chuckled at the byplay before turning to Ginny. "Where are the others. Didn't you say that your whole family moved in?"

"Dad's at work and Mum to took Ron with her to help her shop for a few things. They will be back soon. And the twins are a bit tied up at the moment," Ginny grinned.

At Hemione's bemused look, Sirius snorted and said, "The boys had a bit too much of energy this morning. They managed to cause quite a havoc before lunch time. So we,"- here he pointed at Remus and Tonks who were fighting to keep themselves from smiling-, "may have misled them a bit with a few well placed hints about certain elements in this house and now they will be entertaining themselves for quite a long time and we probably will soon be in possession of a rather large, clean and empty closet."

"It won't take them long to empty a closet Sirius. They are seventeen now, they can use magic," frowned Hermione.

"Yes, but the closet in question has an Undetectable Extension Charm more than a hundred years old, so for a while I'd say the twin terrors have been bested," crowed Sirius. "Let's celebrate with some of Molly's wonderful cake and some conversation without strange noises and smells, shall we?" With that Sirius strutted towards the pantry leaving a quartet of laughing witches and wizard in his wake.


End file.
